In printing presses, forme cylinders are often used that are designed as plate cylinders and carry printing formes in the form of printing plates. These printing plates can be exchanged. For this, a device is necessary that fixes the printing plate to the forme cylinder detachably. With increasing demands on the precision of the print products produced using the printing press, the demands on the precision with which the printing plate is arranged on the forme cylinder also increase. For example, in security document printing, demands are made that necessitate a precision of the position of the printing plates at least relative to one another in the region of micrometers. Such accuracies are not achievable using plate clamps of conventional sheet printing presses.
In each of DE 41 29 831 A1 and DE 10 2004 052 826 A1 and DE 199 24 784 A1, a plate cylinder is known, the plate cylinder having a channel in which a clamping device is arranged that has a radially outer clamping element that is arranged immovably relative to a main body of the clamping device, and the clamping device having a pressure element that radially is arranged further inside than the radially outer clamping element and the clamping device having an adjusting element, by means of which the pressure element is at least partially movable at least in and/or against a clamping device relative to the radially outer clamping element.
In DE 195 11 956 A1, a plate cylinder is known that has a radially internal clamping element that is held in a defined position with respect to a circumferential direction by means at least of a front pressure element.
In DE 42 26 565 A1, a device is known for tensioning and adjusting flexible printing plates on plate cylinders of rotary printing presses.
In DE 37 31 039 A1, a plate cylinder is known that has a channel in which a rear clamping device is arranged that has a radially outer clamping element, the clamping device having at least one pressure element that is partly arranged further inside than the at least one radially outer clamping element, and the clamping device having at least one control element, by means of which the at least one pressure element and the radially outer clamping elements are movable at least partially relative to one another at least in and/or against a clamping direction.
In DE 43 41 431 A1, a plate cylinder is known that has a channel in which to clamping devices are arranged, which in each case have a main body, relative to which in each case at least one clamping element is arranged immovably and relative to which in each case at least one further clamping element is arranged movably. One of the clamping devices is supported against a channel wall by means of screws. The other clamping device is supported against another channel wall by means of supporting bolts.
In DE 298 15 085 U1, a plate cylinder is known that has a channel, in which two clamping devices are arranged. At least one of the clamping devices has a main body, is arranged immovably relative to the at least one clamping element and is arranged movably relative to the least one other clamping element. This clamping device is supported against a channel wall by means of screws and pressure springs.
In DE 296 08 124 U1, a plate cylinder is known that has a channel, which is arranged in at least one clamping device that has a main body, relative to which at least one clamping element is arranged immovably and relative to which at least one further clamping element is arranged movably. The at least one clamping device is supported in the circumferential direction against a cylinder barrel of the plate cylinder by means of at least three supporting sites. No details can be inferred whether a shaft serving for the connection of main body and cylinder barrel is arranged rigidly relative to the main body or rigidly relative to the barrel or both movably relative to the barrel and movably relative to the main body.
In DE 41 29 831 A1, it is furthermore known that the clamping device has a radially inner clamping element that is always held in a defined position with respect to a circumferential direction by means of at least one front pressure element.
In W0 93/03925 A1, a plate cylinder is known that has a channel, in which is arranged a tensioning device which has a clamping device movable on a slide within the channel.
In DE 42 39 089 A1, EP 0 579 017 A1 and EP 0 711 664 A1, methods and devices for the tensioning and for the register correction of printing plates are known. EP 0 579 017 A1 furthermore shows a plate cylinder of a printing press, the plate cylinder having at least one tensioning device arranged in a channel of the plate cylinder.
In DE 42 35 393 A1, a register adjusting device and a method for register adjustment are known, register marks being used.
In DE 10 2007 057 455 A1, a device is known in which a printing plate lying on a plate cylinder can be deformed. For adjustment of the printing plate in a circumferential direction, adjustments of the printing plate already carried out in an axial direction are firstly again made retrogressive.
In US 2006/0174792 A1 a method is known in which an ink jet printhead is deformed by thermal expansion in order to react to a change of a width of a web form synthetic material print substrate.
In DE 100 11 815 A1, a method is known for arranging a printing plate on a plate cylinder which has a channel in which a front clamping device and a rear clamping device are arranged, the rear clamping device being part of a slide, which is arranged to be movable towards the front clamping device along a tensioning path, in a tensioning process it being possible to move firstly the at least one slide by means of the at least one tensioning drive together with a rear end of the printing plate tensioned in the rear clamping device towards the front clamping device and a first channel wall.